SMS Newsletter
December 2021
6th Grade News
It’s hard to believe that the end of 2021 is almost here. We have been having a wonderful school year and are so proud of all the hard work the students have been putting forth every day in all of their classes. It’s been a lot of new routines and expectations to get used to.
Language Arts classes will be finishing up the quarter with a novel. Mrs. Kern’s classes are reading The Castle in the Attic and Mrs. Shimp’s classes are reading Max and Me and the Time Machine. Instructional Language Arts is working on writing sentences with correct grammar and punctuation, and capitalization, as well as identifying possessive and plural possessive nouns. We are reading through a non-fiction short story on volcanoes this week, and working with main idea, details, and context clues. Students are working hard on Lexia and Quill programs, which target reading comprehension and writing skills.
Social Studies classes will be studying the ancient Greeks. We will be focusing on the geography of Greece and discuss the Sparta and Athens city-states. We will discuss the beginnings of the democratic government and the Persian Wars.
Science classes will be expanding their knowledge on topics we have covered thus far. After winter break we will begin our life science unit exploring ecosystems, habitats and different cycles of matter.
It’s been algebra fun in all the math classes! In regular math class we will be finishing our chapter on algebraic expressions and doing some “fun” math activities. Students will be acting as crime scene investigators as we approach the winter break. Accelerated and AT math classes will be finishing up 2 step equations as well as being investigators this month. Please ask your student how they set on pencils as many have used up what they have.
A special round of applause to our two 6th grade students of month:
Delaney Gauer and Tayton Jandt!
They are exceptional students who always put forth a great effort. We enjoy having them in our classrooms and appreciate their hard work!
7th Grade News
We are officially halfway through the second quarter! We have just a few reminders to help your student be successful. Please sit down with your student on a regular basis to look at Google Classroom. You can see the status of the work by going to the “classwork” tab on the top. Then, on the top left, click on the “View Your work.” Please keep in mind that Google Classroom will NOT show your student’s grade, so please check Tyler for grades. Also, please check with your child to make sure that they have the supplies that they need to be successful in school.
Students may want to bring a refillable water bottle with them to school to stay hydrated throughout the day. Please note that only water is allowed in the classrooms. Also, please make sure that your student is bringing the necessary supplies to class each day. It is very important that students charge their Chromebooks every night to be ready for the next school day. We are seeing a lot of students using up the battery in their Chromebook because games are being played throughout the day. We are doing our best to keep students off of games, but they keep finding new ways. Please reinforce the importance of wearing masks correctly while in the building. This includes covering both the mouth and the nose. We appreciate your support while we continue to navigate through this pandemic.
The 7th-grade Students of the Month are Chase Clark and Mikaela LeaTre . Great job. Keep up the good work.
8th Grade News
Amazingly, we are already into the holiday season. This year seems to be flying by! We continue to be very proud of our students. They have figured out Google Classroom, and they seem to be doing really well. Please continue to ask your child to show you how Google Classroom works, and also, please continue to check Tyler to see if your child has any missing assignments.
History: In history the students just finished up their unit on WWI and are in the midst of studying about The Jazz Age. There will be a focus on the Red Scare, the Harding and Coolidge presidencies, the roaries twenties, and the economic boom associated with Henry Ford’s assembly line.
Language Arts: The students are finishing up “Flowers for Algernon” in their myPerspectives book. As a culminating activity before break, the students will be working on writing a narrative using pictures and a test discussed in “Flowers for Algernon”. The narrative will show what the students have learned thus far in regards to their knowledge of the elements of literature and plot as well as figurative language.
Instructional Language Arts:
Instructional LA students continue to work hard to improve their writing skills. We are moving forward with writing topic sentences in our “writing bootcamp”. We are also working on a variety of comprehension skills, finishing up tone/mood skills and moving forward to predicting and questioning. We will start our next novel unit, The Cay by Theodore Taylor when we return to school in January.
Math: In math class the students are working on solving solutions to two equations using graphing, substitution, and elimination techniques. They are also working on replacement of variables to determine how to balance equations.
Instructional Math: In Instructional Math, we have just completed a chapter on patterns, graphs, and functions. After the winter break, we will return to our book to learn about expressions and equations. Until then, we continue to brush up our basic math skills through daily practice on our Math Minutes, fun holiday-themed activities, weekly iXL time, and real-world problem solving strategies. Even though students are required to complete at least 50 iXL “starred” problems (those problems indicated by a yellow star and that were assigned by the teacher) each week, they are more than welcome to work above and beyond those 30 problems -- in any skill area -- for extra credit.
Science: In science, students will be finishing up their study of matter and chemical changes. They will finish with rates of reaction, reaction energy, and chemical compounds such as acids and bases. We will review and test during the week of December 13th.
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH: Our Students of the Month are Braden Behringer and Rachel Kraber. These two students excel in every way. They are hardworking, kind and courteous students who exceed all expectations.
P.E. News
Hello from the Physical Education department. Classes are in full swing and our students have enjoyed partaking in several activities such as: Fitnessgram testing, fitness games, volleyball, german kickball, chaos (SUPER FUN!), and 11 ball. We are very excited to start our next unit of Basketball with our classes coming up soon. We will be practicing our skills, playing various types of games, and even have a basketball tournament with our 8th grade groups.
As we get closer to our Christmas break and the end of the quarter, the PE department would like to encourage all students to make sure they have the proper shoes and attire to participate in class. We have a student who has gone above and beyond all expectations and deserves a little recognition. Please congratulate Brody Stahl! Congratulations on being our student of the month!
We, the Physical Education staff, would like to give you all warm wishes for a happy and enjoyable holiday season!
Lost and Found Items
e-Learning Days- In lieu of "snow days"
Winter weather in the Midwest can be somewhat of a hindrance when traveling to and from school. As in the past, using an “e-learning day” will be considered should there be inclement weather. Since Sandwich CUSD #430 is 1:1 and students and staff have their own device, please be prepared, on a daily basis, to shift to “e-learning” on so-called “snow days”. Please note, this will require everyone taking the responsibility of having their school issued personal device available for use at all times. Unlike previous years, e-learning days do not need to be made up at the end of the school year. e-learning days will be communicated via the district webpage and school messenger.
News from the Nurse
Newest COVID-19 Guidelines
Sandwich CUSD #430 continues to follow the current guidance from IDPH and collaborate with local health departments to determine if a student will be excluded from school.
If your student has ANY of the following symptoms, please keep them and their unvaccinated household members/siblings home until cleared to return. Symptoms include: Fever (100.4°F or higher), new onset of moderate to severe headache, shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, new loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue from unknown cause, muscle or body aches from unknown cause.
Symptomatic students may return to school after 10 days OR show results of a negative COVID-19 test. Our district offers free rapid Binax antigen testing at the schools. Please reach out to your school nurse with any questions or to make an appointment for a Binax test. Our goal is to partner with you to keep students in school - healthy, safe, and ready to learn!
December 1-7 is National Handwashing Awareness Week:
Join Henry the Hand Champion Handwasher and Dr. Will by “linking” Clean Hands across America and the World to STOP COVID-19!
Beginning 12:00 PM EST Monday December 7, 2020: Team up with Dr. Will and Henry the Hand Champion Handwasher to share this message and the website (www.henrythehand.org) with your family, friends and coworkers so they understand that they have the power in their Hands to prevent COVID-19 and the flu by practicing the 4 Principles of Hand Awareness and
1.Handwash every 1-2 hours!
2.Protect your eyes, nose and mouth (T Zone) vigorously! Wear a full-face shield as well!
3.Break your unconscious habit of touching your T Zone. That is how you give yourself COVID-19.
Remember we humans are the petri-dish that grow and spread COVID-19! Your personal Hand Hygiene behavior must change before this Pandemic will end!
Help Henry and Dr. Will want everyone to respect the role “Our Hands” play in the spread of infectious disease.
Together we CAN make a difference!
Thank you for helping to spread the word, not the germs!
December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities
There is a vast variety of disabilities, both seen and unseen, and persons with disabilities are the largest minority group in the world! Please take time to check out this website to learn more about disabilities and how we can continue to work toward being a more inclusive & understanding world: https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities
Important Dates to Remember
December 9th - Franklin Mall Donations Due
December 10th - 11:10 DismissalDecember 17th - 1:10 Dismissal
December 20th - January 3rd - Winter Break
January 4th - School Resumes
District News
Substitute Teacher, Paraprofessional (teaching assistant), Custodian, Bus Driver, Bus Aide
Want to be a sub teacher or paraprofessional in the district? If you have a Bachelor or Associates degree and would like to consider becoming a substitute in Sandwich CUSD 430, the DeKalb County Regional Office of Education (ROE) can answer all your questions and guide you through the necessary steps of becoming certified. Call the ROE at (815) 217-0460; or visit the ROE office at 2500 North Annie Glidden Road, Suite C, DeKalb, Illinois 60115
Substitute Custodian
If you are interested in becoming a substitute custodian, please contact a building principal:
SHS (815-786-2157) SMS (815-786-2138) HED (815-786-8498)
LGH (815-786-8812) PV (815-786-8811) WWW (815-786-6316)
Full Time or Substitute Bus Driver & Bus Aide
If you are interested in becoming a full time or substitute bus driver or bus aide, please call the transportation department at (815-786-8325).
COGNIA-SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SURVEY RESULTS
- Each school year, our schools give students (3-12) and parents/guardians an opportunity to provide feedback through the completion of school improvement focused surveys. The information gained from these surveys help to guide our building and district in selecting specific focus areas each year. Thank you for taking the time to complete the Fall survey. Please note that there will be an additional round of surveys shared in the spring!
- Below are links the results provided to us by Cognia. The results are in PDF form. I encourage you to look them over. Please note that the student survey results are just based on 6th-8th grade responses as our surveys are for grades 3-12.
Contact Information
Email: smorel@sandwich430.org
Website: www.sandwich430.org
Phone: 815-786-2138